KIDSTAGE
Meet a KIDSTAGE Teacher – Everett Edition
KIDSTAGE teachers aren’t just educators—they’re working professional artists who bring their craft, their passion, and their industry networks into every classroom. Porscha Shaw and Sage Gray are wonderful examples. Let’s shine the spotlight on them and all they have to offer!
Porscha Shaw (She/They)
Teaching: College Prep & Institute Acting Teacher
Porscha Shaw is a Seattle-based actor, director, and teaching artist. Recent credits include Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Waitress, and Something’s Afoot at The 5th Avenue Theatre; Four Women at Seattle Rep; and The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion at ArtsWest. A proud AEA member, Porscha is passionate about bold, immersive storytelling and creating theatrical worlds audiences can get lost in. When she’s not performing or directing, she loves teaching and helping young artists discover the power of their own artistic voice.
Village Theatre: What do your students say they love most about their KIDSTAGE classes/camps?
Porscha Shaw: My students tell me they love working on full plays in class. They are really hungry for being on their feet and getting right to making choices. They also really enjoyed making compostions in class. This process also involves a lot of being on your feet and making choices with a time restraint. I’ve also been told that they really like working on scenes verses monologues.
VT: Sure, you’ll get better at whatever skill you’re practicing like acting, singing, or dancing—what other good stuff do students get out of a KIDSTAGE class?
PS: Student can expect to gain:
- Leadership skills: Kidstage often provides moments where students can volunteer to lead or where they can lead through example.
- Collaboration Skills: Students are asked to build performance pieces together based on prompts I give them and they also have to collaborate when they have scene work together.
- Communication Skills: We often check in with the students about their experience and we encourage them to speak up about and curiosities, concerns, or needs they might have.
- Accountability: All teachers expect students to do the work to stay up to date in class. We set those expectations early on with them.
- Public Speaking : Acting class directly translates into public speaking. Students have to deal with the same set of circumstances performing a monologue as a public speaker.
- Time Management & Discipline: This ties directly to Accountability.
VT: What are some particular things you do to create a space in which every student feels comfortable and welcome, regardless of skill level?
PS: I make sure that everyone understands that my classroom is a place where we explore vulnerability not perfection. I also make sure to speak from a place of curiosity when teaching acting and not declaration.
Sage Gray (She/Her)
Teaching: Musical Theater: Broadway KIDS A, Mini Musicals A, Musical Theater: Broadway KIDS B, Actor’s Toolkit: Improv!
Sage is a passionate and creative teacher who grew up in theater and loves sharing the joy of it. She is currently earning her degree in Psychology at the University of Washington, and active in the Seattle theater scene. Sage’s favorite part about KIDSTAGE is the community she gets to be a part of, and kids she learns from every day. She would like to thank KIDSTAGE Saturday classes for being the highlight of her week!
Village Theatre: What do your students say they love most about their KIDSTAGE classes/camps?
Sage Gray: They usually say they love getting to create and perform their pieces, playing games, and the friends they make along the way.
VT: Sure, you’ll get better at whatever skill you’re practicing like acting, singing, or dancing—what other good stuff do students get out of a KIDSTAGE class?
SG: Students enhance their social skills while concurrently developing their artistic skills. This may look like gaining the confidence to make a friend during icebreakers, regulate their emotions when they are passionate about games they’re playing, or learning how to create collaboratively. Students also improve their ability to use the skills they practice simultaneously, while learning about the creative process.
VT: What are some particular things you do to create a space in which every student feels comfortable and welcome, regardless of skill level?
SG: I often find that students are not only eager to improve their skills as students, but also contribute in the creative process as artists however mini they may be! In every class I provide opportunities for them to put themselves and the messages they think are important in their work. Giving kiddos opportunities to express themselves through their pieces creates a space for authenticity and voice that fosters an inclusive environment.
Originally published August 31, 2026
